What does Weird Barbie mean to you?
What did you think of the new Barbie movie?
I can't say that I was surprised to see so much $h!t talking about it. A good portion of those people admitted to not watching the movie, either. How could you critique something you've never seen? Ugh…
Overall, I really enjoyed it. There were so many impactful messages weaved within as well. And while my emotions were coming to a head, Billie Eilish's song "What Was I Made For" made me cry silent tears (I don't like crying, especially in public, and I didn't want my hubs and Fam to see me do it either, lol).
I will say that thought the ending, where they started divvying up "rights" between the Kens, could have been a bit better, though. I think the intent was to mirror what it's like here in the "real world (USA)." Why not just make everything equal, the way it should be? It would be more of a slap to humankind who still hasn't even got that right, yet.
But hashing these deets is not the reason for today's post. I wanna talk "Weird Barbie." This, to me, was my favorite Barbie character in the movie. Let's talk about why.
Nostalgia
Come on, who hasn't had a "Weird Barbie"? Most of mine were weird by the time I stopped playing with them. I wish I had my weird Barbies still because it would be fun to look back on. Sadly, when I was 12, my family and I were evicted from our house, and I could only take the necessities. Not understanding that I couldn't go back for all my childhood belongings, everything I ever had was lost.
I made my own Ken
When all else fails, make it yourself, I guess. I grew up in a very low-income household, so we couldn't afford all the latest and greatest toys. When I wanted a Ken doll, it was a hard no, so I got creative. I took one of my most "weird" Barbies, cut off all the hair, used nail polish remover to take off the makeup (badly, I might add), and, well … melted off the boobs. Don't play with fire unsupervised, kids. Take it from me.
Don't pre-judge another woman just because they look different
There are countless memes out there, something to the degree of “in a world full of Barbies, be a (insert an edgy or non-barbie persona here).” I used to think that they were a bit funnier in my 20s. But now, I can't help but see things like this as something that keeps an active divide between women in general, based on outward appearance. Truth is, not everyone's appearance reflects what's inside. Let's stop the judgment and let people wear what they want. This is coming from someone who is still terrified to wear pink, BTW.
Step out of your comfort zone
Forget about society’s norms, and do you. My perfect example is when I do a creative look (could be a partial body painting, or just off-the-wall, crazy makeup) and I need to run an errand, I just go. Sure, people will look, but let them. Some might even say things. Let them. I call this my “I give no f*cks” complex. And it's pretty liberating. Sadly I know there are people who are still sensitive to stepping out of their comfort zone for risk of retaliation, or physical harm. And that's not OK. This is something we desperately need to fix in this world. Though I think one can do their best to educate the masses on tolerance, some people are just intolerant, and won't change.
An ode to staying weird
Never be scared to be different. Be out-of-the-box, be creative, and be fearless. And be yourself, no matter what! BTW, this reminds me of my elementary school slogan. “We are unique.” The Kathryn Hughes Unicorns, no less.
Needless to say, my first Barbie purchase in over 20 years is Weird Barbie. Was this a marketing gimmick, like so many people are harping on? Probably a bit. But answer me this. What company doesn't take advantage of marketing new merchandise? Especially when something is such a big hit. Give the people what they want to buy, IMO.
Did you order one too? Preorder ends 8/18!
Oh! Check out my Instagram post, where I included a slide of my very first Barbie doll that my auntie had bought me for Xmas. My look is priceless!
Until next time!
